… There is no typical Steampunk. Its practitioners are anyone and everyone: European re-enactors, middle-aged steam enthusiasts, carpenters, illustrators, sculptors, urban clotheshorses. “I think steam engines are beautiful,” says Zachary Rukstela, a musician and industrial artist. “Steampunk was borne of the counter-culture,” Magpie Killjoy, a writer, editor, and self-described “professional ex-worker,” tells me. Libby Bulloff, an anachro tech-fetishist designer living in Indiana, has been attracted to “the tarnished decadence of Steampunk technology” for years. “I sort of see this as a big Venn diagram, with Steampunk as the box and a bunch of overlapping circles of interest,” adds von Slatt. While Steampunks — self-described or not — don’t always see eye to eye on their metaculture’s boundaries, they all have at least one crucial thing in common: a lasting, passionate fascination with Victoriana. The period roughly spans the length of Queen Victoria’s rule, when early scientific discoveries thrust society headlong into the Industrial Revolution, allowing part-time craftsmen who were captivated by the means and methods behind these inventions to advance breakthroughs of their own. …
From the article comments: This is very possibly the best article on Steampunk I’ve seen. Fantastic job!
Steam dream (2008-May-15) [The Phoenix]
The Steampunk Anthology
Only just managed to catch the post on Brass Goggles The Steampunk Anthology; Perhaps you’d like it discounted and personally ‘blimped’ by the editors, Ann and Jeff Vandermeer? Then you want a copy of the Steampunk Anthology!
That’s right, signed and with drawings of DIRIGIBLE/ZEP/BLIMPs.
… of course I ordered a copy
Indiana Jones Officially Licensed Fedora
You know the hat. It’s become an iconic symbol which is, thankfully, finally returning to the big screen. Indiana Jones’ hat is the hat we’ve always wanted to wear. But the hat really wasn’t just one hat. There were at least three different types of hats (of various costs and specialties) used in the films. Out of all of the three, the fur felt hat was the “hero” hat. What that means is, the other hats get used and abused during the action sequences – but when it’s time for a close up, on goes the fur felt fedora. There are other licensed hats out there, but they are only wool felt. This one is 100% fur felt – just like the real “hero” hat – because you deserve to be the hero. [ThinkGeek]
E-Learning for Higher Education: Are We Reaching Maturity?
Michael Zastrocky, Marti Harris, Jan-Martin Lowendahl
Publication Date: 27 March 2008
Gartnert ID Number: G00156361
E-Learning for Higher Education: Are We Reaching Maturity? [Login required]
The fascination with e-learning in higher education in recent years has moved from
making money toward meeting market demands and achieving stability in the program
offerings. The emphasis is shifting from e-learning technologies to meeting the mission
of higher education to support learning.
Recasting the Centralization-Decentralization Debate: Advancing the Innovation Support Cycle
Recasting the Centralization-Decentralization Debate
Abstract: This research bulletin explores the importance of focusing on innovation in decision-making about IT. Acknowledging the apparent dichotomy between the efficient use of resources in a centralized IT model and the effective application of IT resources toward innovative research and pedagogy, the bulletin presents a model for IT service delivery that can be used or adapted in colleges and universities.
Citation for this work: Frederick, Lawrence W. “Recasting the Centralization–Decentralization Debate: Advancing the Innovation Support Cycle” (Research Bulletin, Issue 10). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.